The present invention is directed to an apparatus for leveling and stabilizing various vehicles, such as recreational vehicles, in a static position on even or uneven ground.
Many types of large vehicles travel from place to place with some degree of frequency. When the vehicle is used in a static position by humans for temporary or permanent living accommodations, it is important that the vehicle be stable and not rock or sway as persons move about in the vehicle. Vehicles of this type include towed or self propelled recreational vehicles, construction trailers, mobile homes and the like.
Such vehicles are typically difficult to stabilize when resting solely on associated wheels, since the wheels and suspension system allow the vehicle to rock as persons move about in the vehicle. Such vehicles may also be located by choice or necessity on uneven ground which causes the vehicle to tilt from side to side or from front to rear.
A common apparatus used to stabilize vehicles of this type is a vehicle jack. Such jacks can be manually operated, but are often electrically driven. The major problems associated with vehicle jacks is that, while the jacks raise the vehicle and take the weight of the vehicle off the tires and springs of the suspension system, such jacks still allow for substantial side to side rocking. Such jacks also normally require the user to carry a large supply of blocks to put under the jacks and are relatively slow to operate.
There have been improvements over the use of vertically operated jacks, such as stabilizing devices that have included a set of legs that are attached to the underside of the vehicle and pivot about an axis to engage the ground and lift the vehicle. Such devices provide greater side to side stability over vehicle jacks, but are susceptible to rocking along a front to rear axis.
Furthermore, users of vehicles of this type do not always have a chance to pick out a site that is perfectly level for static positioning of the vehicle. This is especially true when the vehicle is to be deployed in a non-improved location, such as in a forest, or if the user is one of the last to find refuge in a trailer part, such that the user must set up in a bad location. In such instances the ground may be very uneven or there may be a large pothole or a large rock may be located where a foot associated with one of the arms would be preferably positioned.